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@with ftatt @anni @frn GEORGE F. SMITH, IOF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.. Letters Patent Afa-66,995, cZaterZ JuZg/ 23, 186i'.

IMPROVEMENT IN VENETIAN BLINDS.

TO ALL WHM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. SMITH, of the city of Philadelphia, in Athe State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new-and useful Improvement in'Venetian Blinds and .I do hereby declare that the following is a l full, clear, and exact description of the construction and 'operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part cf this specification, in which- Figure l is a front view of a Venetian blind, as suspended in a window-frame, and showing my improvement applied thereto, the face-board of the blind being removed for the purpose; and l Figures 2, 3, and 4, enlarged transverse sections of parts of tig. 1- i Like letters of reference indicating thesame parts when in the different figures.

My invention consists in the-application, as hereinafter described', of a roller in combination with dat takeup bands and a suspended'operating-cord, for the purpose of raising and lowering the slats of a Venetian blind. And my invention also consists, in combination with thevsubject-mattcr of the `preceding paragraph, in the application of a ratchet-wheel, and a jointed, gravitating lever-pawl and brake, with a suspended end, as hereinatter described, for the purpose of controlling the gravitating tendency of the elevated slats, and securing them at any height that may be required, i

Referring to the drawings, A is the roller; BB, the flat take-up bands; C, the suspended cord for raising the blind; D D, the slats of the blind; E, the gravitating lever-pawl; F, the brake-bar; Gr, the ratchet-wheel, (shown by dotted lines in iig. 2;) H, the suspended cord for operating the pawl-lever; and I the supporting-bar of the whole. The roller A turns upon axes tixcd in -its ends, and has two deep rectangular recesses a a cut uniformly around in its periphery, to receive the two respective take-up bands B B when wound up. lhe bands B B are of tape or other thin, ilat, iiexible fabric of like uniformthickness, and about half an inch wide, more or less. They are applied by passing them up on the rear side of the roller A, and racking them fast in their respective grooves a a', so as to extend or hang down therefrom through suitable square holesvmade in the slats D, to the lowest 'one'of which ,latter they are fastened, (see the dotted lines in iig. 1,) the said slats being supported in exible ,ladders, K K, attached` by the upper slat to the supporting-bai' I by iiat bands resting on v:Friction-rollers, so as to operate in the usual manner for turning the slats. The operating-cord C has a tassel attached, and is fastened so as to hang from the'iront side of the roller A down in front of the blind, (see igs. 1 and 4.) On the opposite end of'the roller A the ratchetwvheel Gr is fixed, and one of the axes of the roller projects therefrom and bears in a small upright, Z. The pawl-lever E has its rear endjointed so as to permit the said end to be raised by the teeth of the ratchet-wheel Gr without raising the lever E, when the roller A is caused to be rotated by ones pulling on the cord C, but so that when left to itselfl it will fall between the teeth of the 'ratchet-wheel, and thus prevent the roller from being rotated in an oppositedirection by the weight of the slats D, the said lever being pivotcd to the upright Z so as to give a sutlicient preponderance to its inner or jointed end for the purpose, while its outer cn'd has a cord and tassel, H, suspended from it so as to-hang down in front of the blind, 'and thus afford the means for lifting its jointed end from between the teeth of'tlie ratchetl.wheel G as occasion may require. Near the cord cnd'of the pawllever E there is a projection, e', (sce iig. 2,) against which the upper end et' the brake-bar F rests. The latter (F) is curved to iit the side of the roller A, and has its lower end jointed to the foot of the upright Z, so that when the outer end of the pawllever Eis pulled downward by means ofthe cord H, the projection e thereof presses the brake-bar F against the roller A.

Operation: By pulling-'the cord C in a downward direction, rotary motion is given to the roller A, and thus the bands B B are wound up in the grooves a. a', and the slats D elevated successively from the bottom one upward, the jointed end of the pawl-lever E being lifted and passed by the teeth of the ratchet-whcel Gr; but when the cord C is released, thc radial surface of any one of the teeth of the ratchetwheel G catches aga-inst the pawl, and thus prevents the roller A lfrom rotating in the opposite direction, and consequently holds the blind-slats intheir elevated position. To lower theA elevated slats, all that is necessary is to pull the cord H in a downward direction sufficiently to lift the pawl out of the ratchet-.wheel teeth, and in order to preventa sudden fall of the slats, the operator increases the strength of his pull on the said cord H, and thus presses the brake-bar F moretirmly against the roller A, and controls the speed of the falling motion at will. i l

It will he seen that my improvement does away with the'pair of cords and p`ulleys,.and the-requisite bitching-hooks heretofore required for raising, staying, and lowering a Venetian blind, and gives a more perfect and facile control over the blind in operating it, and that the friction being less on the take-up bands B B on the roller A than the cords and pulleys heretofore used, they will be more durable, and the blind less liable to get out of' order in use.

Having tlius fully described my improvement, what I claim as new therein'of my invention, and desire to secure' by Letters Patent, is confined to the following, viz i l.' I claim the application to a Venetian blind ofthe roller A, in combination with the flat take-up bands B B, and the suspended operating-cord C, the said parts being constructed and applied to operate substantially as and for the purpose described. y

2. I also e'laiin, in combination with the Subjeet-matterv of the preceding clause, the application of the ratchet-wheel G, the jointed, gravitatng pawl-lever E, the brake-bar F, and the suspended cord H, the same being constructed and applied to operate substantially as andfox' the purpose described. f

Girone-E FL SAIITHA Witnesses:

BEM. MOMSON, WM. H. MoRIsON.- 

